Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

can't afford to prep for brexit

392 replies

paintinmyhairAgain · 18/11/2018 12:34

wrong board but the preppers will probably flame me, as you will might for mentioning it on here Grin.
i was wondering if things goes toes up and there are food shortages, what happens with people who can't afford to -hoard- store up goods i.e the elderly and people on very tight budgets already living hand to mouth relying on food banks ?
any thoughts ?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
fieldgold · 18/11/2018 21:54

The time to get concerned and buy a bit extra is if the Agreement is voted down.

Then we are in NO DEAL territory because there will be no Transition Period. Awful thought, but I just thought I'd mention it.

Carry on regardless until the vote in the Commons. Then do what you have to do.

Lovingbenidorm · 18/11/2018 21:55

There isn’t going to be a Brexit!
The state we are in now the only sensible option is for a ‘people’s vote’ and hopefully enough people have realised that they were lied to and we stay!😃

bellinisurge · 18/11/2018 21:57

@fieldgold - surely you are just trotting our Project Fear and must be dismissed as an unpatriotic loon.
I happen not to agree with you and think that people short of cash should consider whether to add some extras to their shop now. But you make a good point and I hope that people listen to you if they think people like me are scaremongering tin foil hat wearing zombie hunters.

fieldgold · 18/11/2018 22:12

@bellinisurge

OK. Thanks!

Original poster
paintinmyhairAgain · 19/11/2018 07:05

contrary to the belief of some posters on here i'm thankfully not in the position of living hand to mouth / using food banks etc but i am concerned about others who are not as fortunate, hence the original opening question.
it's okay for us who are able to prep if we wish but many do not have that 'luxury', it must be a very worrying time for them and i am thankful i'm not in their position.

OP posts:
LovesLaboursLost · 19/11/2018 08:12

The Minister for Health sat in Cabinet last week and said he can’t guarantee people won’t die in the event on no deal. If you’re still just talking about Project Fear and is being one of the richest countries in the world you’re just wilfully fucking ignorant.

Biancadelriosback · 19/11/2018 08:21

My family are struggling now. Since the vote, DHs industry has suffered and we are struggling to get through the month. We go a little bit more into debt each month and can't climb out. We have started to sell things worth selling, haven't had a holiday in years, haven't bought new clothes for us in years etc. I've started to stockpile as best I can but what we can afford to buy and not eat is very limited. DH has suffered a mental breakdown as a result so even our family life is at breaking point. I don't blame all of this on Brexit, but if the worst does happen after we leave, my family is fucked.

LovesLaboursLost · 19/11/2018 08:38

I’m really sorry to hear that @biancadelriosback. I hope there’s a solution, both for your family and for the country.

iwantasofa · 19/11/2018 08:41

if things goes toes up and there are food shortages, what happens with people who can't afford to -hoard- store up goods i.e the elderly and people on very tight budgets already living hand to mouth relying on food banks ?
any thoughts ?

IF this happens, then the same thing as in any other country that was once rich and then got poor - they will starve.
People who are talking about how rich we were in the 20th century are missing a crucial point: wealth has to come from somewhere and wealthy countries often stop being wealthy (and poor ones become rich) following a change of circumstances. Portugal used to be a major world power until the Lisbon earthquake. Norway only became wealthy when they found offshore oil. The UK's wealth has come in the past from the exploitation of Empire and the industrial Revolution. Both these things are now over. If the UK is going to stay rich (not just host a few tax-avoidant super-wealthy in a poor country) , it needs a new source of wealth. Personally, I can't see one on the horizon. I don't think there will be significant food shortages directly after Brexit, but long term, I can see it. After all, the UK, - one of the richest countries in the world, in the 21st century, - needs food banks. We already have food shortages, in that not everyone can afford food!

PandorasBag · 19/11/2018 08:55

I find the thread title odd. One can prepare for Christmas because it's pretty much a known. You can ask who's coming, decide on a specific menu, choose decorations and make a present list.

I think with the political situation it is very hard to know what is being prepared for. If we leave the EU as a result of (flawed) Government decisions, then it's Government responsibility to ensure that the nation is fed - that transport can function and that if deliveries are less frequent that there are secure storage depots around the country. Food rationing, price controls and penalties for black marketeering would be necessary.

I suppose it's a question of how much we trust the Government....

Starisnotanumber · 19/11/2018 09:28

Does anyone know what the petrol situation is likely to be. I work in care industry and will be unable to get to work if petrol is unavailable. It would be3 buses assuming that they are running and at earlier times than normal so shift can start.
Without work no money to buy anything even if it's in shops.

bellinisurge · 19/11/2018 09:29

That's just it@PandorasBag . I'd like to trust the government but I don't on this occasion. So rather than living in fear I have been slowly prepping and doing what I can to give practical and frugal advice to people on here.
The government cannot take care of me and attend to my needs so I would rather it focused on people who are genuinely vulnerable and cannot take steps to build in food resilience. If they can't be arsed to or think it is somehow unpatriotic, then .... well I don't have anything positive to say about them.

Thomasinaa · 19/11/2018 09:46

The overall wealth of the UK is not the issue. It's the lack of the re-distribution of wealth. This government has just been told by the UN that 1.5 million of its citizens are in dire poverty. The reaction was just to dismiss that report out of hand.
If I had no money I would do what I could to start stockpiling in a very basic way. If possible, buy some cheap basic bags of pasta, cheap tins of fish, etc. Bit by bit. So that you are at least able to survive for a few weeks at a very basic level.

itsthemenopausenotme · 19/11/2018 09:54

Dontgiveamonkeys I'm in a similar situation, can i ask what sort of food you're putting aside? Unfortunately I don't have room to stockpile lots as i live in a small flat on a tight budget, not yet needing food parcels though.

PandorasBag · 19/11/2018 10:04

I actually think the best form of preparation for one's immediate family is to make sure that one is able to leave the country. My daughter and I now have dual nationality.

Yes, I can see that a few extra tins, a few packets of paracetamol and a sack of flour may provide a kind of short-term cushion - so that the bad effects of this ill-conceived political move take a little longer to hit home.

But I do believe that ultimately everyone in the UK with the exception of the super-rich will find their lives very much changed for the worse - whether or not they have a cupboard of tinned goods.

bellinisurge · 19/11/2018 10:07

@itsthemenopausenotme (cool user name),
Think about what you actually eat and whether it can be stored in shelf stable form and if you have the space for it.
If you don't have space in kitchen cupboards, i won't look if you stick it under the bed or on top of a wardrobe .
Just work on three days - don't get caught up in buying tins or bags of stuff you won't eat. Three days is better than nothing.
It's good to have tinned meat/fish of some kind but soups (with meat) might go down better for your household. Look at getting a pack of porridge for breakfast. Get a jar of whatever jam or chocolate spread works for you.
Plain cheap white rice is more than fine.
Remember toothpaste (I always forget this).
Tinned fruit and veg are also fine. Dried pulses to soak and boil are also fine. Tinned pulses for an alternative.
Please head over to the Prepper topic- we don't bother with politics over there and don't wear tin foil hats or belong in a cult.
Just advice to people to look after themselves if things get tricky. No judging. No looking at people's wallets.

PoisonousSmurf · 19/11/2018 10:08

Stock up on common sense! Remoaners are a bunch of scared yellow bellies!

bellinisurge · 19/11/2018 10:10

@PoisonousSmurf , so it's ok tone anxious about immigration but not about feeding your kids. O .... k ....

Gromance02 · 19/11/2018 10:12

I assume that the UK birth rate is falling seeing as everyone is so shit scared of what may be around the corner?

Original poster
paintinmyhairAgain · 19/11/2018 10:17

pandora you mention people able leave the country, that's not really practical for most people though unless you are immigrating, even if people did stay with relatives / friends abroad how long would it be for? most of us have jobs to go to, tbh i can't see my bosses saying 'it's okay paint have a few weeks wherever we'll let you know when it's all settled oh, and by the way you'll be sacked. ' sorry, if i'm naive but i don't understand what you are saying.

OP posts:
allthenamesaregone · 19/11/2018 10:18

DH is working on a project with DEFRA to try and ensure food supplies post Brexit. He is normally completely anti-fear and doom mongering. He has asked me to fill our chest freezer with as much as we can afford, and have a stash of dry/tinned goods. There are going to be shortages, fresh food going to waste because it is sitting at borders, meat coming in without proper biosecurity. And it is all going to be more expensive.

I am so far beyond angry with the bloody politicians getting us into this mess. I only partially blame those who voted for it, they should never have had the chance to vote.

itsthemenopausenotme · 19/11/2018 10:20

Thanks bellini. I'll head over.

Wow I never cease to be amazed by some people on mn. Reading this thread just makes me depressed...

user187656748 · 19/11/2018 10:20

The vast majority of us don't have the ability to get dual nationality though.

I think everyone should be assuming that we will have problems. If nothing else, buy

10 x 500g bags of value pasta - £2.90 total
10 x pasta sauce - £3.90 total
10 x tins beans - £2.30 total
5 x 1kg bags rice - £2.25 total
10 x curry sauce - £2.80
1 x vitamins 120 pack - £2

Total £16.15

I've done that using asda prices - lower prices may be available elsewhere.

Its boring and certainly not what you would chose to eat in an ideal world. But in a food shortage situation could be invaluable.

Original poster
paintinmyhairAgain · 19/11/2018 10:21

gromance falling birth rate has been occurring for years in this country and is generally a global problem.it's not because of uncertainty around the current situation, although possibly not helping at the moment but am happy to be corrected on that one.

OP posts:
bellinisurge · 19/11/2018 10:22

Thank you @allthenamesaregone . I wish that wasn't the way things are. So want to be wrong. So want to be overreacting.
Please can I encourage everyone to pop over to the Prepper topic and lurk if you prefer for some sensible non-political advice for all budgets.
You don't need to be a prepper to prep.